Method and apparatus for vulcanizing hollow rubber articles



May 30, 1950 F. T. ROBERTS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VULCANIZING HOLLOW RUBBER ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 2l, 1946 l P ..--Nummmwmsmfmw/MJ f ,.iilnllli, :.11 In n f UNTOR. 02W/ www? May 30, 1950 2,509,882

F. T. R ERTS METHOD AND APP FOR VULCANIZING HOLLOW R BER ARTICLES Filed Aug. 2l, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 30, 1950 F. T. ROBERTS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VULOANIZINO HOLLOW RUBBER ARTICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 2l, 1946 taten'ted May 30, 14950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Maanen AND Arrana'rus- Fna yuhoinvlz'-W me,` HoLnovv RUBBER AR'rIoLas Fred` Thomas notam, Eidg-esem, conn.-

Applicaonnugust 21, 1946, sel-famo. 692,041'

This invention relates'` to; a` method and ape par-atus for vulcai'iizing` hollow. rubber articles particularly such thin-walled. bladders asi are usedin footballs; basket balls, and other athletic balls.`

Heretofore such` thinswui-lled` bladders havebeen pieced together by hand from panels cut fromi-calendered rubber, lappingmr scarf-lng the meeting edgesof the panels, with `the seams. then reinforced by stripsiofi rubber. It' has been irnpossible by such` method to make a bladder` of.` uniform thickness of wall.

A more seriousl disadvantage in the` balls or: bladders made by the usualimethod is that when-` the-article|is vulcanized. in. a two-part mold, as isv customary, there is great danger thatthe'tl'iinl wallI will blowout between the meeting edges.` ofit-he mold members, caused by the internal pressure which is usually suppliedby compressed air through aivalve affixedto the bladolergas `the mold members which seldom make actualltight Contact. with each other. In vulcanizingisuchra ballzina two-parti mold it has accordingly` frequently resulted that an external equatorial'flniis formed on* the ball with a corresponding. equatorial groove'on the interioratthe meetingfaces. Such groove definitely weakens the ball inthisiregiom so that a troublesornely largep'ercentage :of1.such thin-walled balls` becomes:` defective frornl this cause.

Itis an `object ofmy invention to make aublade derof uniform thioknessLthroughout-and to'fpre vent the bladder blowing `out or formingta Weakenedizone.` at the. meeting faces of the:` Vulcania ingmold. I accomplish this by providing, a band which surrounds the bladder within the :vulcan-I izing mold extending across the rneeting .faces of the moldmembersand preventing any-crack; with the result that the vulcanizedbladder does not become thinned-.or weakened in such region.`

Another object of the. invention is4 to provide for the protection of the seams of the `raw rubber bladder when it is inated preliminary-to the insertion in the mold for curing, and to effect this Iprovide a harness having not only a. bandto extend across'the meeting faces of the vulcanizing. mold but havingl one or more other bands. extending about the bladder in position to overlie its seams, this harness being left in the mold duringivulcanization and thereafter removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide strengthening means for. the thin-walled bladder avoiding the necessity of putting strips of rubber overlapped or scarfedseams. This is acomplished by the same harness. over` alloftlie 2l seams, which prevents separation thereof and results in a concentrated pressure at the seam during vulcanization, causing the lapped portions of the seams toform internal reinforces.v This is of especial value where the bladder is made of several sections joined by meridional seams, though in my preferred method I avoid such seams: by making a'bladoler of two half sections" joined by a Single equatorial seam, as hereinafter explained.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing a` preferred apparatus carrying out the method, and lis hereinafter fully explained.` i

In` the drawings, Figi. 1 is a view of-aspherical bladder ready for vulcanization, showingwa prof jecting innating devicecarried thereby; Eig. 2 is an enlarged view of the inflating device seated in a mold member which bulges the rubber sheet inwardly,` this View showing an` applied internal boss through whichithe inflating needle extends;

Fig. 3 is-an elevation partly brokenl away of aL soit rubber valve member adapted to-be inserted in the applied internal bossA after vulcanization of the. article; Fig.A llfis a perspective of myfband providedito encircle the bladder the regionvof the meeting` :faces` ofthe vulcanizing mold; Eig.

5is a fragmentary view of such bandshowing. the-bias direction of the threads; Fig; 6 is a crossf enlarged lsection through the band as indicated the line l---E` ori/Eig. 4` showing the laminated construction thereof; Fig. `7 is a View of a modified form of band made of metal withaooncave inner face; `Fig.l 8` is aiview ot theball ofFig. 1" with the bandof` Fig.- 4fappl ied thereto and the ball innatediready for vulcanization; Fig. 9 is a View of a vulcanizing rnoldshowing` the ball with the positioned band across the` meeting faces Otl the mold; Fig. 10 isa `viewof my harness `adapted for use inthe vulcanization of a bladder of several-` lenticular shaped pieces` ofv calendered` rubber, suchlharness providing aband at themeeting.

edges of the vulcanizingmold and also bands ball of Fig. 1 embraced by a two-band harness, providing a band over the seam joining the two hemispheres as well as the band at the meeting faces of the mold; Fig. l5 is a vertical section of a two-part forming mold adapted to form the two half sections of a Vbladder ready for joining, this view showing the mold members separated with two sheets of rubber placed between them; Fig. 16 is a similar view illustrating the condition at the two sheets of rubber after they have been seated in the respective mold membersby the application of vacuum to the mold cavities; Fig. 17 is a section of one of the mold members, illustrating the formation of an internal perforated boss suitable for receiving a valve after vulcanization of the article; Fig. 18 is a view of the same two mold members after they have been brought together to join the sections to form a complete hollow body; Fig. 19 is a detail on enlarged scale, showing the equatorial seam with the excess external pinched off as effected by the mold members of Fig. 18.

My vulcanizing method is adapted for use with any hollow rubber ball or bladder irrespective of the way the parts of the article may be joined to make a complete hollow member. In Fig. 1, I have illustrated by way of example a spherical bladder made of two hemispheres of thin rubber A, A joined by an equatorial seam a, one of which carries an internal inlating valve, which is not shown, though a hypodermic ini'lating device is indicated at 2D. This device may be of the form shown in Fig. 2 and hereinafter' described.

After the bladder has been formed it is inflated through the sleeve 25 to bring it up to proper externally convex form of proper size for vulcanization. Before complete inflation is effected, however, I place about the bladder the substantially inelastic endless band of this invention, designated I, in Fig. 4, this band having an opening 2 adapted to extend over the inflating sleeve 2l). This band extends in an equatorial region about the bladder when inflated, as shown in Fig. 8. When the bladder with the band is placed in a vulcanizing mold, as shown in Fig. 9, the band extends across the meeting edges of the mold members It and I I, and thus effectively prevents the internal pressure from blowing out the article between the mold members during vulcanization.

My band is capable oi withstanding a high degree of heat. The band should curve laterally to contact with the spherical surface. I nd that such curvature is readily eiected if the band is of fabric having the woven threads thereof extending diagonally, as shown at 3, in Fig. 5, such fabric being rubberized by composition similar to that used in the ordinary air bag for vulcanizing tires. The band preferably comes substantially to a, chamfered edge and thus avoids any abrupt indentation in the wall of the ball at such regions. Such chamfered edge may readily be effected by making the band of surmounting layers, as indicated by the successively narrowing layers, Ia, Ib and Ic in Fig. 6. It will be understood that in Fig. 6 the parts are exaggerated to illustrate the construction.

In place of a fabric band I, I may employ a very thin metallic band transversely concaved, such as indicated in exaggerated form at Il in Fig. '7, and having chamfered edges 5.

The single band of Fig. 4 is very effective to prevent the blowing out of the sections during vulcanization irrespective of how those sections are made or joined preliminary to mounting in 4 the vulcanizing mold. If the sections are made in two hemispheres, the single band is ordinarily sufficient, but if desired one may employ two bands I and I at right angles to each other, as shown in Fig. 14, to embrace also the joining seam a of the article.

It is customary in vulcanizing these thin-walled hollow rubber balls to maintain the molds hot, and after vulcanization to relieve the air pressure in the article. The molds are then opened to remove the article and to install a new article, the heating being continuously maintained. Difficulty has been encountered, however, in that the hot mold may seat the cement on the seam in advance of the general vulcanization and thus overcure the seam and weaken it. My harness, comprising for instance the two bands of Fig. 14, not only prevents injury at the meeting faces of the vulcanizing mold but also serves to keep the heat away from the seam, allowing the heat to pass gradually to it during the vulcanization, resulting in a perfect vulcanization at the seam .as well as throughout the ball, since by the time the entire surface of rubber has been forced against the mold and has become vulcanized the seam will have received proper vulcanizing heat.

When the article is made of lenticular segments joined by meridional seams, which is the method frequently employed in forming such a bladder, I may use, in place of the single band I, the harness illustrated in Fig. 10. This harness has the equatorial band to extend across the meeting edges of the vulcanizing mold, such band being here designated l. The harness also has two other bands 8 and 9 extending in great circles and at right angles to each other and to the band l. When such a harness is placed on the ball preliminary to vulcanization the band 1 is in position to prevent damage at the meeting edges of the vulcanizing mold while the bands 8 and 9 extend over the lapped or scarfed seams b and c where the lenticular calendered sections are joined in originally forming the bladder.

Fig. 11 illustrates a hollow rubber ball embraced by the harness of Fig. 10 and placed in the vulcanizing mold provided by the members I and II ready for vulcanization.

If the bladder being formed is ellipsoidal in place of spherical the harness will be correspondingly varied. I illustrate in Fig. 12 an ellipsoidal bladder E embraced by a harness having a band 30 to come at the meeting edges of the mold members I2 and I3. This harness has also two meridional bands 3| and 32 extending over the poles and thus adapted to overlie seams if the article is made of calendered rubber sections. In Fig. 12 I have shown the inflating device 2i) as coming at the side of the ellipsoid and the mold members formed each to take a polar half of the article, thus bringing the inflating device at the meeting face with'the mold members.

In Fig. 13, I have illustrated an'ellipsoidal bladder F embraced by a harness having two bands 35 and 36 at right angles to each other, each extending across the poles of the ellipsoidal body. The inilating device 20 in this case is at one of the poles and the mold members I4 and I5 are formed with comparatively shallow cavities each to receive the longitudinal half of the article.`

It will be seen that whatever the shape of the article and whether the single band or the multiple band construction is employed, I provide, Yin every case, a, band about the article located in position to lie across the meeting faces of the two-'members of the mucaniz'lng mold, thus streef tively preventing the distortionY orfweakiig of the article in this region. lAlso it will be seen that if desired I may employ additional adapted to extend about the article and serving to pros tect the seam or seams thereof duringviilcanizae tion. Such additional bands' 'extend in great' circles or ellipses of the article and cross the main band at right angles thereto.

In place of making the harness as' a unit as shown in Figs. l0, 12, or 14, I may employ sepa# rate bands crossing each other, biittliis has the disadvantage of thickeningthe band 'strueture at the crossing and I prefer, where multiple bandsare used, to have the entire structureV of a uni-e form' thickness, as" illustrated in Fig. 10.

An advantage of my harness is thatit operates as a gauge for inilating' theY ball `prelirniriary to placing it in the vulcanizir'igmold;VA In' vlcani'zing such balls it is custom-ary to innate' the article through the air valve approximately to size' 4and insert it in the mold and thereafter to `supply acll ditional' pressure through the valve, "such pressure being maintained during vulcanization. It has been difiicult to givetheproper size tothe ballby the" prelirninary inflation, and' if it is notbf the proper size air pockets are likely toforrn between the ball and the mold surface` resulting in an im' properly vulcanized Wall. My `harness provides an excellent gauge. ball the ball may be inflated until itjust begins to' bulge between the diiier'ent straps ofthe hare ness and then it will be in proper size for placing in the mold. I

With very thin wall balls it -isV desirable to place a thin strip of rubber' outside `of the wall directly over the seampreliminary to vuleanliza-` tion. My harness has the advantage of holding such thinewalledstrips de'fnitelyin place during vulcanization.

It will be understood from the preceding description that my bandto stand across the meeting faces of the vulcanizing mold is independent of the number or shape ofthe sectionsot which the bladder is made and independentV of the rparticular Way in which` the sections ofthe bladder are joined. toeach other. When my harness is used, including additional bands to come over the seams, these will vary according to the way inf which the bladder is formed from sections.

I have illustrated in Figs. 15 to 119, avery convenient apparatus and method for forming the bladder from two hollow hemispheres, one of which has a valve for inflation, and in such case I prefer to use for vulcanization either the single band of Fig. 4 or a Vharness having two bands tol come at the meeting face of the vulcanizing mold and also over the seam of the sections as illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14.

InV Figs. l5 to 19, 40 and dl indicate two coacting mold members for forming'a hollowl blad der by the vacuum process. Each of these mold members has a cavity 42 and 43 hemisphericalexcept' that adjacent the pole the mold surface is bulged inwardly as at 44er 45 with a convex curve corresponding tothe concave-curve of the hemisphere. This form of cavity enables the mold to be of materially less depth and vprovides a support in the polar region, resultngin a more uniform thickness of wall, the material seated forming a hemisphere by the inward bulge tak ingan outward position, as soon as the article is=reieased` from the mold and inflated` To `seat the sheet rubber material in the mold* cavities, I` prov-idepassageway- `4t leading `from When it is placed about the each cavity to an `eXtei"nal `nipple 41 to* whil vaouuii conduit may be attached. I provide; a' (uttng O1 pinching Ifdgej atttie r'ini Of the cavity. Outside of lthis I` 'provide 'an' annular groove `t9 connected by internal passageways with the' same vacuum `conduit `t1. g

Fig. 15 shows' at A, A two" sheets 4of rulvber` positioned across the respective mold men'ibers; When vacuum is applied to these inold members through the conduits attached at `4l the annular edges of 'the rubber sheets become A"olalmpedby vacuum in the grooves 49 and the body of the sheets vbecome seated in the mold cavities, as shown 'in B, B in Fig. 16. i

As I desire toforn'the bladder with an innate* ing valve I 'providel the lower mold member 40 with cylindrical 'cavity in its hump 44 inlwhich is mounted the tubular sleeve 20 having' Va. 4pro? jectirigy hyp'odelinic needle 2|; Wheil the "shet of rubber is seated in the mold #0, the needle" 2i punctures the bladder 'sheetand extends into the interior thereonas shown in Fig. 1'6. Fnow`= ing this' seating, I mount e111 the `interior of the section B' a' rubber boss 25 `havinga skirt r25' adapted to engage and be cementedto the intee" rior surface of the bladder section, thus produc? ing the construction shown in Fig. 17 `and in enlarged section in Fig. 2.

Alter the bladder sections have been seated, as shown in Fig. 16, 'and the valve boss applied, asf shown in Fig. 17, suchinold parts are brtnight together, as shown in Fig. 18. The ridges "48 'of the two mold members then abut and press "the annular `extensions of the two rbbershetstc form a seam and pinch off the external rubber, vaS idbaltd'iii large 'Scale ih Fig. 1'9.

It resuns from the described 'operation that' when the mold members of Fig. I8 `areseparated and the article removed and compressed air applied through the sleeve 20, the latter being' removed with the article, I wiil "have a sphere of rubber, shown in Fig'. l, comprising two secr tions A and A joined by an eduatorialseanr af; and carrying an external inflatirig sleeve 20.

The sleeve 20 and hypoderinic needle 2l may bev of any approved construction. However, I prefer to use such a dviceras illustrated.' in Fig. 2. The sleeve has a bore 22 carrying a spring-` seated check valve 23 'similar tothe usual Seliiro'ej#v der valve on' a pneumatic tire. The sleeve 20 is provided with an `external thread for the appli-f cation of 'a suitable inating hose. The passa" way through the'` hypo'deii'riic needle preferably doesnot extend to the extreme' end thereof` but is diverted laterally by openings 24, sdtl'lfat there' is no danger" of plugging th'e opening as the' point of the needle is forced through the rubber.

The applied boss 25 on the interior ofthe rub: ber section is preferably formed with a radial Cavity 2B within it, thIOugh1Which the? 11371502-A dermic needle passes, and with an enlarged ari;4 nular internal space 21. This space and the cavity 26 are adapted to receivefa rubber valve member applied after the vulcanization has been completed. Such valvemember is shown Vat 28'inAv Fig. `3. It has a passageway through' it and' an annular externallange 29A intermediately located.

After the article has been vulcanized the nee: dle2l is withdrawn and the stretching `ofthe ek: terior portion of the cavity `26A allows theY inset# tion of the soft rubber valve plug 28, its'` annu--l lar collarcoming into the annular'spaoe 27|. The inner edges of the valve plugnormally make a ugh-t connection with `each other but never-t` less allow the insertion of a-hypoder`r`1ieneed e? asoaea 7. through it for inflating purposes. Accordingly, after inflation when the needle is withdrawn,`the rubber lips automatically close into contact with each other, sealing the opening.

When the ball sections are formed with a vacumethod there is a tendency of the rubber sheet, as it is seated in the cavity, to become thinner at the poles, but, with my harness this does no harm as the harness, even if of only one band, extends over the regions which are polar inthe formation and gives an effective support therefor.

When the hemispherical section formation ls produced by such an apparatus as is shown in F'igs. 15 to 19, the inflating device is at 90 from the equatorial seam joining the two sections. Accordingly, when the band I is put on the formed bladder in the position where it will reach across the vulcanizing mold faces, it comes at right angles to the seam a, Fig. 8, joining the sections A and A. There is little danger of the separation of the article at this joining seam because it comes in perfectly solid portions of the vulcanizing mold. However, if desired, the second band, ,illustrated in Fig. 14, may be employed at right :angles to the band I to cover this seam and protect it before vulcanization.

Air pockets sometimes form between the wall of the ball and the vulcanizing mold in the ordinary process. With my harness holding the ball it is possible to provide the vulcanizing molds with openings for air exhaustion, similar to that shown herein with reference to the forming molds, The harness overlies such openings, as it does the mold joint, and prevents the extrusion of the ball material. Thus, the air may be exhausted from between the entire external surface of the ball and the mold, preventing air pockets.

A method now sometimes used in vulcanizing thin-walled balls, known as the tunnel method, comprises forming the ball, inflating it, then placing it in an individual shell mold and forcing the molds one after another through a heated tunnel for the necessary length of time. My harness is well adapted for balls to be cured by that method, as it is necessary to fully inflate the ball in the mold before it goes into the tunnel, there being no air connection to supply pressure during vulcanization. By using this harness the ball can be accurately inflated before being placed in the mold, then accurately positioned in the mold so that the harness tightly fits the mold and then after the mold is closed the slight addl,

tional pressure required to inflate or distend the unsupported section of the wall of the ball against the mold is supplied through the valve and the valve closed. The ball then goes into the tunnel to be cured and cooled; the-air exhausted; the ball removed still in the harness and then the harness removed, and another ball inserted into the harness and the operation repeated.

I claim:

1. The method of vulcanizing a hollow rubber ball or bladder having a valve comprising placing about such rubber article a removable band having a hole through it in a position to register with the valve, mounting an inflating device extending through the opening in the band into the rubber article, and placing the article with the inflating device and band in a two part vulcanizing mold with the inating device at the meeting faces of the mold and the band extending across such faces, supplying air pressure through the inflating device and Vva1ve,and heating the mold to effect vulcanization.

viding it with a valve, inating the article through the valve, placing about the article an endless band having its inner surface of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization, placing the article in the vulcanizing mold with the band extending across the meeting faces of the mold, inflating the article through the valve and heating the mold.

3. In a method ofl vulcanizing joined hollow rubber articles in a separable vulcanizing mold, the step of placing between the article and the mold, a removable endless band having its inner surface of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization to bridge across the meeting face of the mold and encircle the article along the seam.

4. The method of making and vulcanizing a hollow rubber bladder comprising joining sections of the bladder to make an enclosing article, placing about the article a removable equatorial band having its inner surface of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization out of registration with the seam and a meridional band overlying a seam of the article, placing the bladder with such bands in a vulcanzing mold with said equatorial band bridging across the meeting faces of the mold.

5. The method of making and vulcanizing a hollow rubber ball consisting in building up the ball out of two hemispheres joined by an equatorial seam, placing about the ball a removable equatorial band and a meridional band, placing the ball and harness in a vulcanizing mold, the harness being in such position that the equatorial band bridges across the meeting faces of the mold and the meridional band overlies the seam of the ball, and removing the harness after vulcanization.

6. The method of making and vulcanizing a hollow rubber article consisting in building up the article out of rubber sheets joined by meridional seams, placing about the article a removable equatorial band and a plurality of removable meridional bands, placing the article and harness in a vulcanizing mold in such position that the equatorial band bridges across the meeting faces of the mold and the meridional bands overlie the seam of the article, and removing the harness after vulcanization.

'7. The method of vulcanizing a hollow rubber article comprising placing a harness about the article at its equator and extending across its poles, inilating the article while using the harness as a gauge to determine the inflation, mounting the inflated article with its harness in a separable vulcanizing mold with said equatorial band bridging across the meeting faces of the mold, removing the article with its harness from the mold following vulcanization, and thereafter removing the harness from the article.

8. In an apparatus for vulcanizing hollow rubber articles, a harness having a band adapted to extend around an equatorial region of the article and having one or more other bands adapted to pass over polar regions of the article, said bands having their inner surfaces of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization.

9. The combination with a separable vulcanizing mold having a spherical or spheroidal cavity of a band adapted to be placed about an article p15 to occupy the mold in position to bridge across the meeting faces of the mold, said band being composed of surmounting layers of successively narrower material.

10. The combination With a separable vulcanizing mold having a spherical or spheroidal cavity of a band adapted to be placed about an article to occupy the mold in position to bridge across the meeting faces of the mold, said band being cornposed of rubberized fabric with the threads on the bias to enable it to conform transversely to the curvature of the mold.

11. The combination with a separable vulcanizing mold having a spherical or spheroidal cavity of a band adapted to be placed about an article to occupy the mold in position to bridge across the meeting faces of the mold, said band being made of metal with a concave inner face.

12. A harness for use in vulcanizing a spherical or ellipsoidal article comprising an endless band adapted to extend about the article in position to bridge across the meeting faces of a separable vulcanizing mold and another band arranged in a great circle about the article at a right angle to the first-mentioned band, said bands having their inner surfaces of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization 13. A harness for use in vulcanizing a spherical or ellipsoidal article comprising a band adapted to extend about the article in position to bridge across the meeting faces of a separable vulcanizing mold and a plurality of other bands arranged in great circles about the article at an angle to the first-mentioned band, said bands having their inner surfaces of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization.

14. The method of vulcanizing in a separable vulcanizing mold a hollow rubber article having parts joined by a seam comprising placing a removable endless flexible band having its inner surface of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization about the article in position continuously overlying the seam, in- Hating the article and placing the article with its band in the vulcanizing mold.

15. The method of vulcanizing a hollow rubber article having parts joined by a scam and having a valve, comprising inating the article through the valve, placing a removable endless band having its inner surface of a character which will not adhere to the article during vulcanization about the article in position continuously overlying the seam, and placing the article with its band in a two part vulcanizing mold.

FRED THOMAS ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 634,302 Longden Oct. 3, 1899 1,007,434 Destribats Oct. 31, 1911 1,629,582 McClintock May 24, 1927 2,242,795 Soderquist May 20, 1941 2,380,370 Smith, Jr July 10, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,573 Austria May 8, 1930 186,893 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1923 216,072 Great Britain May 9, 1924 

